San Francisco 49ers: Ray McDonald Released

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The San Francisco 49ers tried their best and did their due diligence to keep defensive tackle Ray McDonald on the roster.

McDonald was on his last straw and he disappointed the team, being released due to a “pattern of poor decision-making” according to General Manager Trent Baalke. On August 31st, McDonald was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence;  he also was arrested on  drunk driving.

The 30-year-old’s arrest came amidst the whole Ray Rice domestic situation so the 49ers were pressured to do some sort of punitive action though they were reluctant. The Niners decided to defend McDonald’s actions with the  right to due process and elected to believe McDonald’s account of the situation which occurred at his 30th birthday party.

The organization vowed that if McDonald was charged with the crime, then he would be cut from the team. But those charges never came, McDonald has been able to start all 14 games this season. Prosecutors in the case cited “insufficient evidence and the victim’s refusal to participate in the investigation” were reasons charges were not filed against McDonald.

So it seems that Ray McDonald has dodged a bullet. Well not until what occurred over the past few days. Per USA Today San Jose police spokesman Albert Morales told USA TODAY Sports in an email Wednesday that police received a call from a hospital at 10:43 a.m. on Tuesday about a possible sexual assault victim. Morales wrote that officers contacted the adult female victim, who said she was “possibly sexually assaulted a day prior.” 

The 49ers were later informed the day after that McDonald is a suspect to these allegations which was enough for the team release him immediately after.  McDonald will now be subject to waivers with a 4.1 million contract set up for next season.  A lot of people speculated that the only reason McDonald was kept was due to injuries and the Aldon Smith suspension, and now they will have to find a replacement at defensive tackle.  Tony Jerod-Eddie and Tank Carradine will be lined up to fill in as McDonald’s replacement for the final two games of the season.